"It is a great culmination of a project that was much needed," retired Fire Chief Harold Hoskins said. "From the beginning, we wanted this building to be a 100-year building. Because I truly believe in 100 years, there will be men and women responding to calls for help from where I'm standing."

The new building replaces old Station 2 at 451 East New Circle Road, which was built in 1953. Before the city and county merged in 1973, the 64-year-old building had been the headquarters for the Fayette County fire and police departments, and it had several holding cells.

Built in 1887, the city calls Station 2 and 3 the most important station in Charleston due to its centralized location. The total estimated cost for improvements at this station is around $8.4 million, with FEMA providing 75 percent of the required funds if the grant applications are approved.

With the additional $3.9 million needed to improve Station 8, the total price tag for construction costs is almost $12.2 million. If the grant applications are approved for the retrofitting upgrades, the city would be required to provide $3 million in matching funds.

The Ways and Means Committee will also vote on a request for federal funding to install permanent back-up power systems at four fire stations. In addition to replacing undersized generators with new diesel generators and auxiliary fuel tanks at the stations on Meeting and Huger streets, Station 12 on Old Towne Road and Station 17 on Bohicket Road would also receive an upgrade.

At the Holmen Area Fire District Association Board's June 22 meeting, the department asked to approve the sale of the mini-pumper and use the proceeds toward the purchase of a new rescue squad. The board voted to approve the sale and directed Fire Chief Paul Menches to seek quotes for a replacement vehicle.

The new rescue squad, equipped with a 12-foot, enclosed, utility box with multiple compartments and slide-outs equips the squad to deploy to a variety of incidents such as vehicle accidents, advanced medical, rescue operations, rapid intervention and other situations the current rescue squad isn't capable of handling.

But the engine was delayed in reaching its destination due to parked cars on both sides of the road, leaving no room for the vehicle to pass without causing damage to itself or the parked cars.

Fortunately on this occasion, this was not an emergency call out and no-one was harmed as a result of the firefighters being delayed.

"Fire Chief Tim Card has obtained an estimate of $113,000 to refurbish engine 63, our 1996 fire engine, from a reputable company that we've used for repairs recently and that he knows well and trusts," Smith said. The firefighters say they prefer the older fire engine, saying it is better built than the newer fire engine the city obtained with grant money. The process would include refurbishment of the 21-year-old fire engine's pumps and repainting.

'The 21-year-old truck is simpler to use, and the repairs it needs are new brakes, replacement of hoses and other internal plastic parts," SLFD Lt. Brian Davis said Tuesday. "They'd overhaul the engine, which was built to go a million miles, replace all the leaky hoses and valves, and repaint it in about six weeks. When it comes back, it would be as if we have two new fire engines. Replacing Engine 63 with a new pumper truck would cost the city at least $400,000-$500,000. This would save the city a lot of money, and we could go another 21 years before we need to do anything again."